1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vertical blinds, the C-shaped fasteners commonly used to suspend vertical blind slats from an overhead track, and hand-held tools used to open the tightly-biased ends of a C-shaped fastener to release a suspended vertical blind slat from its usable position, specifically to a removal device and method of use that allows for prompt and easy detachment of a vertical blind slat from the generally C-shaped fastener connected to the upper end of the slat while it is in its suspended position of use. The present invention device has a rigid main body that in its most preferred embodiment is tubular in construction, and further has two rigid projections extending from one end of the main body. The projections are only connected to the main body, and not to one another. The projections are also closely spaced-apart, and for most effective use, it is preferred that the open-sided and open-ended gap between them is only slightly larger than the thickness dimension of the targeted vertical blind slat in need of separation from its supporting fastener, which may be a thickness slightly larger than one-thirty-seconds of an inch, but not limited thereto. When a present invention removal device is used, an operator holds it in one hand and places each projection on a different side of a vertical blind slat immediately below the central hole in the upper end of the slat used for fastener connection. This places the present invention device in a horizontally-extending orientation, wherein the one of the lateral edges of each projection is in a position above its opposing lateral edge (in contrast to a horizontally-extending orientation with one of the projections in a position above the other). The operator then moves the main body slowly in an upwardly direction, which causes the uppermost sides of the two projections to exert a constant and steady upwardly-directed force against the closed ends of the C-shaped fastener (or other substitute fastener with opposed lower ends that are biased into a closed position), which causes the ends of the C-shaped fastener (or substitute fastener) to open sufficiently so that the slat drops away from the fastener via the force of gravity. When slats are positioned in front of a sliding glass door, they typically are only an inch or so above the floor, so that the slat does not have far to move when it drops. The operator can then use one or both hands to transport the slat to a remote location. The present invention is used without injury or damage to the projections, the vertical blind slat, the fastener, adjacent surroundings, or the operator. Since the operator typically stands on a ladder, step-stool, or chair, and reaches upwardly to align the lateral edges of the present invention projections under a fastener on both sides of the slat, for the operator's benefit the main body of the present invention is generally configured to be small, lightweight, and easily hand-held. However, the main body of the present invention is not limited in size or configuration, although it is preferred for the main body to have a cylindrical shape with a length dimension of approximately four inches and a diameter dimension of approximately two inches. Tubular construction is also preferred, although not limited thereto. In addition, both the main body and its attached projections must have sturdy construction to be able to exert the strong force needed to open a fastener's tightly-biased ends. Furthermore, since the operator typically uses the present invention in an overhead position and behind a valence, the present invention may optionally have an associated means for enhanced illumination of the fastener's releasable ends. One means of enhanced illumination includes the attachment of a light source to the tubular main body of the removal device via a threaded connection, wherein the released light travels through the tubular main body, around the projections, and also through the gap between the projections, to illuminate the ends of the C-shaped fastener (or substitute fastener) prior to and during slat removal. Other illumination enhancement may involve lateral attachment of a light source to the main body via straps, hook-and-loop fasteners, double-sided adhesive strips, and the like. Release of vertical blind slats is contemplated for a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, when one or more slats are broken and in need of replacement, when one or more slats are discolored and/or unsightly due to wear or extended exposure to strong sunlight and in need of replacement, when one or more slats are prematurely deteriorated as a result of interaction with children or pets (cats, dogs, or other), to replace previously-installed vertical blinds with better quality slats, and/or when exchange of slats is needed for decorative update of a room or living space. It is important to understand that the present invention is only employed for removal of a vertical blind slat from its associated fastener, not for attaching the fastener to the slat (which would require other design considerations).
2. Description of the Related Art
Vertical blinds are often hung in front of a sliding glass door, or a large picture window, using one C-shaped clip with its ends tightly biased together to engage the central hole in the top end of each slat, with the fasteners and holes hidden behind a horizontally-extending valence for decorative enhancement. Once suspended in their usable position, adjacent slats can be positioned to completely cover the associated window or door, or moved via connection to an overhead track for collective positioning on one side, or both sides, of the associated window or door to uncover it. In addition, each slat can also be rotated 180-degrees from left-to-right, and vice versa, to control the amount of light reaching the interior space behind it. Setting vertical blind slats into the clip on an overhead track is usually a simple task. One only needs a reasonably steady hand to slide the slat hole into the receiving clip's center portion. However, while vertical blind slats are relatively easy to install, the clips used are not easily released when a slat needs replacement. At the present time, removing a slat from a vertical blind track is a daunting task. The usual approach is to get on a ladder or chair and, once within reach, try to manipulate the ends of the clip through pressure on the slat at the point where the clip is located, using a screwdriver or other pointed and/or elongated hand tool. Very often in the frustration of failing to loosen the slat from the clip, one places too much pressure on the slat hole or clip, and something breaks. Taught wiring has also been tried. However, although it passes well enough between the ends of the clip, it became stuck and was difficult to remove from the clip. Adding to this frustration, it is a nearly impossible task to find/purchase replacement slats and clips. The answer is not to make the ends of the vertical blind clips easier to release, but to find an easier way to open them. The ends of the clip need to remain firmly biased together to successfully keep an associated slat attached to an overhead track, as well as properly aligned with adjacent slats for effective use, particularly while the slat is collectively moved or rotated with the other slats in the vertical blind assembly, as when slats are moved too quickly (and this frequently occurs) they can become temporarily tangled with one another, resulting in the exertion of additional pressure on each of the tangled slats' upper ends. Furthermore, while the positioning of vertical blind fasteners behind a valence enhances the decorative look of the vertical blinds, the valence reduces the available light in and around the fasteners should a slat need replacement. The difficulty of replacing a slat is also enhanced by the elevated positioning of the fasteners that typically requires a person to use a ladder, step-stool, or chair to reach them, and the need for working with arms in an outstretched and/or elevated position. Although people have used screwdrivers and other elongated tools to pry open the ends of the fasteners associated with vertical blind slats, due to the elevated working position, the small working space behind valences, and the reduced light conditions typically available around vertical blind fasteners, the risk of tool slippage is high, which may lead to damage/injury of the slat, the fastener, the tool, adjacent surroundings, and/or the operator. An easier way to release a vertical blind slat from its installed position is needed, to be able to exchange it for a replacement slat rapidly and without injury or damage to the operator, the fastener, surroundings, or the slat, whether substituting a new slat for a physically damaged one or for general decorative update. During use of the present invention, an operator will experience time and cost saving benefits while achieving slat replacement, the additional benefit of reduced hassle and frustration, as well as the benefit of a substantially reduced risk of injury.
Devices are known that assist in the attachment of retaining clips. One such example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,655 to Buzzelli (1990). The Buzzelli invention is designed and constructed to hold an “E” clip, and then install it in its desired position of use, such as in the carburetor of an internal combustion engine. The working end of the Buzzelli invention has a recess with substantially parallel sides and a closed bottom surface into which the “E” clip is placed prior to its installation use. The opposing end of the Buzzelli invention is a polygonal shape that permits support during its use by a tool bit holder. Thus, the Buzzelli invention is different from the present invention in several significant ways. First, it is supported by another tool during its use, and it is used to install an “E” clip, not open the ends of the “E” clip to release another object. Furthermore, the length of the recess in the Buzzelli invention is small, just sufficient to hold the non-opening end of an “E” clip. In contrast, the most preferred embodiments of the present invention have a cylindrically-shaped main body with two plate-like clip-releasing projections mounted across one end of the main body. There is no connection between the clip-releasing projections, even though they are closely spaced apart, and the gap between them is open-sided and open-ended. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention the gap is slightly larger than the thickness dimension of the vertical blind slat targeted for release from its associated fastener. Thus, the opening between the clip-releasing projections in the present invention is necessarily narrower than the space between the Buzzelli blades, in many applications only slightly larger than one-thirty-seconds of an inch, while the Buzzelli gap has a substantially greater thickness dimension (larger than the thickness dimension of the clip/fastener its holds). Furthermore, if the present invention open-sided and open-ended gap was constructed with sufficient thickness dimension to hold a fastener/clip, the surrounding projections creating the gap would be too far apart to effectively apply an upwardly-directed force against both of the tightly-biased fastener ends at once to pry them open and allow a vertical blind slat to drop, the purpose for which it was created. Also, the lateral edges of each clip-releasing projection of the present invention must at a minimum extend the full dimension of a tubular main body for support, and the distance beyond the end of the main body that the clip-releasing projections of the present invention extend must at a minimum be the distance across one-half of the vertical blind slat targeted for release (commonly two-inches). However, in the most preferred embodiment of the present invention it is contemplated for the length dimension of the projections to extend slightly more than one-half of the slat's width dimension to ensure secure engagement between the uppermost lateral edges of the projections and the movable ends of the clip. Furthermore, the operative portion of the Buzzelli invention is its distal end, which receives the “E” clip for installation. In contrast, when one side of a vertical blind slat is positioned within the open-sided and open-ended slot of the present invention and the projections are located immediately below a C-shaped clip, the present invention is placed into a horizontally-extending orientation with one lateral edge of each projection positioned above the opposing lateral edge on the same projection. Thus, it is the uppermost lateral edge of each present invention projection that applies the constant and steady upwardly-directed force to the ends of the C-shaped clip (or substitute fastener) to pry them open and becomes the operative portion of the invention, and not the adjacent distal end (as in the Buzzelli invention). A further two-pronged invention for installation of “E” clips is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,872 to Lewis (1981). In fact, the Buzzelli invention was an improvement over the Lewis invention since the “E” clip demagnetized during use of the Lewis invention, and the Buzzelli invention overcame that problem. However, although the Lewis invention is also configured to remove clips, as well as install them, there are important differences between the Lewis invention and the present invention that distinguish one from the other. First, the length of the slot formed by the Lewis blades in FIG. 1 does not appear to be sufficient to reach at least half way across the width of a vertical blind slat to force open the tightly-biased closed ends of a C-shaped clip and release the slat. Also, as pointed out in column 2, lines 14-16, of the Lewis disclosure, removal of the “E” clip in FIG. 2 is accomplished by a tooth 14 on the end of its blades 13, and not the blades themselves. In column 2, lines 19-21, of the Lewis disclosure a tooth for removal purposes is also mentioned, stating that tooth 14a in FIG. 5 can have a point 18 for use in removing clips 15 and 16 respectively in FIGS. 2 and 3. Thus, it is intended for a tooth and not the lateral edges of the Lewis prongs to release a retaining clip.
Other devices are known with two closely spaced-apart projections that create a slot used for fastener removal purposes, but they do not have the same structure and positioning as the projections of the present invention and cannot accomplish the same vertical blind slat removal task with the same speed, efficiency, and injury-reducing benefit that is provided by the present invention. In addition, many such devices use their slot's interior surfaces as the operative portion to provide twisting forces, instead of using a lateral edge adjacent to the slot (as in the present invention) to apply a constant and steady upwardly-directed fastener-releasing force. The sheet metal tool disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,250 to Hinden (1965) is used to assemble one sheet metal component to another. It locks a sheet metal air-turning blade to a blade rail using twisting forces applied via the interior surfaces of a slotted configuration in its distal end. Although the Hinden invention has two closely-spaced apart projections that form its slotted configuration, they are connected together at the bottom and do not form an open-sided and open-ended slot or gap, which is different from the projections in the present invention which are not connected to one another, instead only having connection to one end of the open-ended tubular main body. Furthermore, the interior surfaces of distal tip's slotted configuration provide the operative portion of the Hinden assembly tool, and not lateral edges, as in the present invention removal device. Another two-pronged invention is the lug straightener disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,192 to Sanmiya (1991). The two prongs of the Sanmiya invention have a piece of a lower portion 18 extending between them and connecting one to the other. Thus, similar to the Hinden invention, an open-sided and open-ended slot or gap is not created that would allow light to pass through it, as in the present invention for better clip visibility during use. In addition, similar to the Hinden invention, it is the interior surfaces of distal tip's slotted configuration that provide the operative portion of the Sanmiya invention, and not lateral edges, as in the present invention. Thus, a tubular device with projections or plates closely spaced apart from one another, but not in contact with one another to form an open-sided and open-ended gap, and further with lateral edges that are used to apply a substantially linear and upwardly-directed force instead of rotational or twisting forces, is not currently known, nor is any device known that is similar in structure to the present invention for use in conveniently, rapidly, and safely removing an installed vertical blind slat from its supporting clip while the slat remains in its suspended position of use, without damage to the slat, the clip, the device, surrounding areas, or the operator. Those who could benefit from such a device include home décor businesses, window treatment businesses (such as for in-home demonstrations), furniture stores (for changing décor and color themes to keep up with fashion trends), new construction, interior decorators, home improvement stores, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, hotels, and motels, to name a few.